adjudication

American  

[uh-joo-di-key-shuhn] / əˌdʒu dɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

adjudications plural

1. an act of adjudicating.

2. Law.

   1. the act of a court in making an order, judgment, or decree.

   2. a judicial decision or sentence.

   3. a court decree in bankruptcy.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonadjudication
  noun
• readjudication
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• adjudications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of adjudication

First recorded in 1685–95, adjudication is from the Late Latin word adjūdicātiōn- (stem of adjūdicātiō ). See adjudicate, -ion

Explanation

After a long court trial, the judge reviews all the evidence to come to a conclusion about a case and that process is called adjudication. Adjudication comes from the Old French ajugier meaning "to judge, pass judgment on." An adjudication results in a formal judgment or decision given by a court. Often these adjudications lead to the making of history, like the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka trial in which the process of adjudication resulted in a decision that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

adjudication adjudications

They function like mental health diversion courts, suspending adjudication of qualifying crimes while veterans receive treatment, often at the VA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

They will report those to a student-run honor committee for adjudication.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

But, as D’Souza rather proudly observes, the adjudication process is stripped of the inconvenience of courts: “The Gawker litigation took ten years and millions of dollars. Objection industrializes this process.”

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026

Congress can instead assign them to an agency for initial adjudication, subject to judicial review.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2025

So the dispute between Reinier de Graaf and Jan Swammerdam over the discovery of the egg within the ovary, which began in 1672, was referred to the Royal Society in London for adjudication.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

A quorum is the minimum number of members who must be present for the commission to engage in rulemaking, issue final decisions in adjudications, initiate enforcement actions, and otherwise conduct business.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

"USCIS's hold on adjudications cannot be attributed to anything that these individuals did wrong; rather, it arises solely by the happenstance of their birth," the judge said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

“Today’s FTC can bring civil enforcement suits against private parties, promulgate binding rules, issue final orders in administrative adjudications, and investigate potential violations of the law.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

Series producer Clare Parody frequently has to make instinctive adjudications when, as is often the case, a contestant gives an answer that seems a marginal call, but isn't.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2024

What writers of authority on public law, what adjudications in courts of admiralty, what public treaties, recognize it?

From The Great Speeches and Orations of Daniel Webster With an Essay on Daniel Webster as a Master of English Style by Webster, Daniel